Durham Public Schools building new schools to keep up with growing population

Lyons Farm Elementary School will open its doors to students this August, while the new Northern High School opens next fall.

The construction on Lyons Farm ensured preservation of the farmhouse's original foundation, and it retained trees shielding the building from the road. The new school will alleviate overcrowding pressure on other schools in the system.

The brand new building is the first elementary school constructed by DPS in a decade. It’s 85,000 square feet, sitting on 46 acres, with a price tag of $39,611,923.

Fredrick Davis II is the Executive Director of Building Services for Durham Public Schools.

"This school is designed for a max capacity of 650. Currently we’re looking at enrollment of about 400 to 450 in the first year," Davis said. "As you look at Durham and the Triangle area and the growth that you see in the business and residential community, it’s important that we provide adequate educational spaces to deal with that growth."

The new school showcases the landscape of North Carolina, from the mountains to the coast.

Davis said the infrastructure of the new building is designed to be educational and welcoming.

"We know that kids from Pre-K through 12th grade, the majority of their adolescence is spent in the classroom. So we want to make sure that it’s vibrant, engaging, so that they are excited to come back to school, and don’t want to leave," Davis said.

The new Northern High School will be on Roxboro Street; the current building dates back to 1953.

"The new school will be built to fit some of the special programs that Northern High School has," School Board Chair Bettina Umstead said, citing the new kitchen and auditorium.

The new building will be 250,000 square feet, on 227 acres, for a cost of $96,016,315.

Umstead said existing schools are also getting upgrades in the next few years.

DPS also has another new elementary school opening next fall. It will be on South Roxboro Road, covering 33 acres and costing $49,326,165.